Here’s my most recent CV.

I’m an associate professor of Sociology at UCLA and my research interests include education, culture, religion, and theory. My first book, published by Oxford University Press in 2021, is titled Agents of God: Boundaries and Authority in Muslim and Christian Schools.

My current projects are

1. a theory book under contract with Columbia University Press, Against Achievement: how to talk about schools without talking about meritocracy

2. an empirical project, also under contract with Columbia, Magical Citizenship: Self and Social Obligation in American Schools, based on my postdoctoral research in six public high schools, two each in New York City, San Diego, and Charlotte, NC.

3. various and sundry stand-alone papers with brilliant and patient co-authors.

My current projects center around two key theoretical concerns: (1) the relationship between meritocracy and alienation and (2) the relationship between achievement, self-worth, and moral obligation. While my ongoing interest in religion is less obvious in these current projects, it’s very much still there.

I have studied in Damascus, Syria and Mexico City, Mexico, and I hold a Modern Middle East Studies Certificate from Yale University. While the majority of my recent work is on the United States, I maintain an interest in the Middle East and Latin America.